Across the U.S. more than 5 million people participated in anti-Trump “No Kings Day” protests on June 14, the largest demonstration of opposition to the twice-impeached convicted felon since he returned to the White House in January. The protests, organized in some 2,100 locations across America, came soon after Trump federalized 4,000 National Guard troops and deployed 700 Marines to Los Angeles to suppress mostly peaceful, but angry protests that caused some property destruction in response to militarized ICE deportation raids targeting California factories, farms and courts.
The No Kings protest was timed to coincide with Trump’s military parade in Washington, D.C. ostensibly celebrating both the U.S. Army’s 250th anniversary and the president’s 79th birthday. Trump’s North Korea-style parade drew far fewer attendees than expected, in stark contrast to the enthusiastic crowds that flooded the streets of both big cities and small towns. While the horrifying political assassination of a Minnesota Democratic state legislator and her husband that day didn’t deter the protests, it served as a reminder of Donald Trump and the Republican party’s dangerous embrace and endorsement of political violence.
The Trump regime’s militarized response to the protests in Los Angeles has raised fear that the administration could soon follow through on their repeated threat to invoke the Insurrection Act and impose martial law that would suspend constitutional rights. Between The Lines’ Scott Harris spoke with Sasha Abramsky, The Nation magazine’s Western correspondent and author, who contrasts the “No Kings Day” protests with Trump’s military parade, while considering what strategies and tactics democracy defenders may need to adopt to prevent the establishment of a fascist police state.
For more information, visit Sasha Abramsky’s website at sashaabramsky.com. Sasha Abramsky’s latest book is titled, Chaos Comes Calling: The Battle Against the Far-Right Takeover of Small Town America.
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